Little Tern
Little TernLittle TernLittle TernLittle Tern

Little Tern

Sternula albifrons

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Wilpattu National Park
33 Verified sightings at Wilpattu National Park From 2019 to 2026
2,348 Verified sightings across all 40 parks From 2019 to 2026
May Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Little Tern

The little tern (Sternula albifrons) is a small seabird of the family Laridae. It is widely distributed breeding on the coasts and inland waterways of Europe, Asia, north and west Africa, and eastern Australia. It winters in the subtropical and tropical oceans as far south as South Africa and Australia.

The little tern was formally described in a sales catalogue by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas in 1764 under the binomial name Sterna albifrons. The type locality is Holland in the Netherlands. The species was moved to the genus Sternula when the genus Sterna was restricted to the larger typical terns. The genus name Sternula is a diminutive of Sterna, 'tern', while the specific name albifrons is from Latin albus, 'white', and frons, 'forehead'.

Four subspecies are recognised: S. a. albifrons (Pallas, PS, 1764) – breeds Europe and northern Africa to central Asia; winters to African coast and to western India S. a. guineae (Bannerman, DA, 1931) – breeds coast and Niger River basin, Mauritania to Gabon, and northern Kenya

S. a. placens Gould, J, 1871 – breeds coastal eastern Australia including Tasmania; ranges to Indonesia S. a. sinensis (Gmelin, JF, 1789) – resident... Wikipedia →

Closest Relatives at Wilpattu National Park

Whiskered Tern
LC

Whiskered Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlidonias hybrida

Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
Gull-billed Tern
LC

Gull-billed Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Gelochelidon nilotica

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
White-winged Tern
LC

White-winged Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chlidonias leucopterus

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Caspian Tern
LC

Caspian Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Hydroprogne caspia

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
Brown-headed Gull

Brown-headed Gull

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Chroicocephalus brunnicephalus

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Lesser Crested Tern
LC

Lesser Crested Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Thalasseus bengalensis

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Common Tern
LC

Common Tern

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Sterna hirundo

Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
Red-wattled Lapwing
LC

Red-wattled Lapwing

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Vanellus indicus

Daily sighting probability ~80% · Very likely
Black-winged Stilt
LC

Black-winged Stilt

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Himantopus himantopus

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
Great Thick-knee
NT

Great Thick-knee

🌅 Crepuscular Bird

Esacus recurvirostris

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Wood Sandpiper
LC

Wood Sandpiper

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Tringa glareola

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
Pacific Golden-Plover
LC

Pacific Golden-Plover

☀️ Diurnal Bird

Pluvialis fulva

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
2 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~20%
3 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
4 Bako National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
5 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
~10%
6 Bali Barat National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
7 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
8 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%
9 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
10 Komodo National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
11 Ningaloo Marine Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
12 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
13 Cape Range 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
14 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
15 Taroko National Park 🇹🇼 Taiwan
<5%
16 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
17 Raja Ampat 🇮🇩 Indonesia
<5%
18 Wilsons Promontory National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
<5%
19 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
<5%
20 Tsavo East National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
21 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
<5%
22 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
<5%
23 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
24 Gauja National Park 🇱🇻 Latvia
Insufficient data
25 Booderee National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
26 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
Insufficient data
27 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data
28 Noosa National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
Insufficient data
29 Tanjung Puting National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Insufficient data
30 Tangkoko Nature Reserve 🇮🇩 Indonesia
Insufficient data
31 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
32 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
Insufficient data
33 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
34 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Insufficient data
35 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
36 Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park 🇲🇳 Mongolia
Insufficient data
37 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
Insufficient data
38 Fiordland National Park 🇳🇿 New Zealand
Insufficient data
39 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
Insufficient data
40 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Little Tern in Wilpattu National Park?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Little Tern sighting in Wilpattu National Park, based on 33 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Little Tern in Wilpattu National Park?

May has the highest sighting rate for Little Tern in Wilpattu National Park in our monthly data.

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